Fly casting and talking fly casting bollox

Surprise, surprise, I have just found another stats page and discovered I do have visitors. Welcome, whoever you are. You don’t have to be embarrassed, there is a comments section and you are more than welcome to add some if you like. I promise not to wrap a five weight around your head the next time we meet.

So, what shall we discuss this week. As I am a flycasting instructor perhaps I should mention it now and then, not that I am doing much instructing at the moment as it’s not really the weather for it, is it?.

Why did I become an instructor?. Good question, and a long story.

I had never considered I was instructor material. Not enough patience, not enough experience and not enough knowledge, not enough of anything really. It started with my first ‘proper’ lesson with Paul Arden. I was rather shocked when he asked me if I had ever considered instructing. I think I laughed at the absurdity of it while at the same time feeling slightly flattered that he thought I was good enough. I now realise it was a devise to get you to think more about the mechanics of flycasting and in that respect it worked because I guess that was the moment the seed was planted.

Initially I was much more interested in casting a five weight to 100′, when I got to 100′ it then became 110′, and so it went on for a few years until I reached a point where, for one reason or another, I realised I had probably reached my peak as far as distance was concerned and I was beginning to get more interested in the ‘twiddly stuff’ as my wife likes to call it, accuracy, change of direction casts, slack line, curves, mends etc.

After a while I realised I needed some structure to my practice so I downloaded the FFF CCI casting test and worked my way through it. At some point I thought I needed to find out how good I was and the only way to do that was to put myself up for testing and that is the moment I decided to become an instructor.

I will continue this saga over the weekend because my wife and I are being taken out to lunch by one of our sons, I wonder what he wants!

About

Hi,

I’m Mike Heritage and a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Master Fly Casting Instructor. A bit of a mouthful so it’s FFF MCI for short

I am on the committee of the British Fly Casting Club (BFCC) I have held various club distance records but currently I don’t hold any out right records although I do hold a couple of age class records.

Initially my resurgent interest in fly casting was trying to blast a five weight line to the horizon. I still try to do it but since I decided to become an instructor I have developed a more rounded appreciation of all types of single-handed fly casting and it would be my pleasure to help you take your first steps on the fly casting ladder or help you climb even higher by adding a few feet to your existing cast.

If you don’t already fly fish and don’t have any tackle I will provide it for the lesson. The only thing you need to bring with you are sunglasses, a peaked cap, shoes suitable for (maybe) wet grass and a sense of humour.